Coast Guard retrieves human remains, wrist watches: IG

Chennai, Jul 14: The Coast Guard which undertook a massive search for the missing Dornier aircraft with three crew members, has retrieved parts of human remains and a wrist watch at a depth of 950 metres, Coast Guard IG, SP Sharma said here today.

"Eighty per cent of the aircraft's parts have been retrieved, including human bones and wrist watches from the sea bed," he said displaying the retrieved items at a press meet.

He said most items were wires and cables which could not disintegrate.

"I must also say that at the depth of 950 metres, the estimated pressure of the water column at the surface is about 140 PSI (Pounds per Square Inch)," he said.

"As the events unfold in terms of decoding the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder and establishing the identity of the crew, I am sure the board of enquiry will submit it's report as early as possible", he said.

Sharma said he had also requested families of the crew to come personally to see the wreckage, the items and the human remains picked up from the sea bed.

He said the Coast Guard was in consultation with the Tamil Nadu Forensic and Science Laboratory to carry out DNA tests and had suggested to the parents of the crew that they be present for confirming identities (of their loved ones).

The Dornier aircraft with three crew went missing on June 8 during a routine surveillance mission off Chennai coast. Sharma said the search operations which lasted for more than 33 days have been "terminated" since last night.

The Coast Guard had last week retrieved the flight data recorder off the coast of Chidambaram. Reliance Industries vessel 'Olympic Canyon' and another submarine from National Institute Of Ocean Technology were involved in the search.

Sharma had earlier described the search operations as one of the "unprecedented search operations" ever undertaken by the Coast Guard over the last two decades.

Coast Guard headquarters in New Delhi had sought the help of Australia and Japan for the search operations, he had said.

PTI